Teen parties can be a lot of fun with a few planned activities.
Teen birthdays and celebrations are a relaxing way for kids to socialize outside the restrictive school setting. Teens may be too old for games like pin the tail on the donkey and bobbing for apples, but that does not mean they are too old for all games. With a little planning, you can provide activities, games, and some fun extras to make a teen's party uniquely fun.
Impersonation Game
Spark some laughter and conversation by getting the teens started with an impersonation game. Divide the teens in two teams. Each member selects a person to impersonate. Teens can select anyone to impersonate--teachers, friends, parents, even other kids in the family--as long as everyone knows him. Team 1 starts. The first person to impersonate writes down the name of the person she will impersonate and puts it in her pocket. She begins impersonating her person to her team as quickly as she can until the team gueses correctly. After the team guesses it, the impersonator takes her paper out to confirm who she was impersonating.Timing is very important because Team 2 is timing how long it takes Team 1 to get the answer. Play turns to Team 2 and Team 1 takes over the timing. Teams take turns impersonating people until everyone has had a chance to impersonate someone.The team that guesses all the impersonations in the lease amount of time wins the game. Once play is done, let the kids vote on the best impersonator and give the winner a small prize, such as gift certificates to movies, Internet music, or music stores.
Friendly Poker
Arrange a poker game or tournament. Make the stakes small, like betting for candy. If the kids want to play more like "real poker", use poker chips. Once the game is over, allow the kids to "cash in" their poker chips for small prizes teens would enjoy, such as a popular CD or posters. Provide lots of food, sodas, and music to keep the party festive.
Theme Costumes
Plan a costume party with a theme that teens would enjoy. Request that the teens wear a costume that fits the theme. For example, if your teens love a certain movie or tv show, center the party around the characters in the movie or show. If your teens are really into music, have them dress up like their favorite bands or music celebrity. Make the food and decorations match your theme. If you have a movie theme party, play the soundtrack, find old movie posters, make lots of popcorn, and provide big boxes of candy. Have a costume contest at the party and allow everyone to vote for the best costumes.
Cooking Party
Invite teens over for a Chef party. Select recipes that are both easy and fun, such as tacos, pizza, brownies, and even homemade ice cream. Plan ahead so you have all the supplies you need available beforehand. Delegate responsibilities to each person to get the meal finished. Give them a little supervised cooking freedom, allowing them to use the ingredients to cook their own creations. Follow dinner by making a cake and decorating it.
